Value of Friendship
by DREWHHR
Summary: Harry and Hermione are no longer friends when Hermione agrees to go on a date with Michael Corner. Ron is caught in the middle and he tries to talk to them and tries to get them to be friends again. Set over a year after the defeat of Voldemort. H/Hr.


**Hey, here's another one-shot I wanted to do after seeing an episode of Boy Meets World where Cory breaks up with Topanga and Shawn does not think they should be friends now that she and Cory had broken up.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does.**

**Summary: Harry and Hermione are no longer friends when Hermione agrees to go on a date with Michael Corner. Ron is caught in the middle and he tries to talk to them and tries to get them to be friends again. Set over a year after the defeat of Voldemort. Ron and Hermione nor Harry and Ginny relationships ever happened.**

**Value of Friendship**

Harry closed his eyes as he saw the clock turn "7:00". _'Michael's probably already got his filthy arm around her'_ he thought disgustedly. _'Barely walked out of the door, I just know it.'_ The reason for Mr. Harry Potter's despair is that his best friend, Hermione Granger, was going on a date with Michael Corner, a former Ravenclaw who Harry did not like very much. He was not really a nice person. Not to be trusted.

Or maybe he was...

Either way Harry really didn't like the bloke.

Harry sat in his favorite chair in his living room. In the house his parents had given to him in their will. It was Manor. A very large Manor. And he was the only one that lived in it. Well, Teddy, his godson, would stay over sometimes every other weekend, like this weekend. But the little guy had a long day and Harry had just put him down for the night. He was so lonely. So very lonely. It was Friday night. Usually, Hermione would come over and they would watch movies and eat popcorn until they fell asleep. However, except for a few times at work, Harry had not seen or heard from Hermione in two weeks. When their friendship had ended. It was stupid really.

_Harry smiled as he saw his female best friend walk into his Manor that night. She was dressed casually. In a pair of tight-fitting jeans, a grey sweater, and an orange scarf. She smiled as she walked into the kitchen where he and Ron were sitting drinking Butterbeers. They did this once a week. Just the three of them._

_"Hey, guys!" she greeted. She walked over and gave Ron a tight hug. Then she gave Harry an even tighter and longer embrace. She then kissed his cheek. Something she _never _did with Ron, which Harry just thought it was because he was with Luna._

_"Hey, Hermione!" they both said._

_"How are your parents?" Harry asked making conversation and getting a Butterbeer out of the refridgerator for her. She took it gratefully after he had uncapped it for her._

_"Thank you. They are great. They left yesterday to visit their old friends from Australia. They'll be back in a week. Anyway, how are you and Luna doing, Ron?"_

_"We're doing great. Really great. I took her to a Chudley Cannons game last Saturday," Ron answered._

_"Oh, yeah? How did that go?"_

_"Well, erm...not so well. She kept saying how there were Nargles in the stadium. How they were flying around the players and trying to give them Stubbed-Toed Syndrome-whatever _that _is. So we left about three minutes into the game. I took her to the London Zoo instead and, thankfully, there were no Nargles there."_

_"Aww," Hermione sighed with glee. "How cute!" They all laughed._

_"How's Teddy, Harry?"_

_"He misses his Aunt 'Mione, that's for sure. Little tyke hasn't seen you since his birthday party. He always asks me for his 'Aunt 'Mione' when he comes over. But you're always at work," Harry replied._

_She smacked her forehead with her hand. "Oh, I know. I need to take breaks. I miss him, too. Isn't he over this weekend?"_

_"Oh, no. He's staying with Andromeda this weekend. She wanted him this weekend. I'm having him over in two weeks. Why don't you come over on the twenty-first? We can watch a movie with Teddy."_

_"Sure, sounds lovely," she said and took a swig of Butterbeer. Then she cried out, "Oh, wait! I can't! I forgot to tell you. Michael Corner asked me out on a date earlier this week."_

_Harry gasped as he was taking a sip of his Butterbeer, which resulted into it going down the wrong pipe and eventually caused him to choke. He sputtered it out and looked at the concerned faces of his two best friends._

_"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione asked._

_"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Michael Corner? He asked you out?" Harry was livid._

_"Yes, we're going out to dinner in two weeks. He has to go to Egypt on some assignment but he'll be back after that and we're going out to eat at seven two Fridays from now."_

_"I don't want you going out with him, Hermione."_

_"What? Why not?" she asked shocked at Harry's behavior._

_"Because..." He didn't have a reason. He just didn't want her going out with him. "He's dangerous," was what he said._

_"Oh, opposed to you? You're dangerous. Or, at least, used to be. Harry, Michael's very sweet. He cares about me. He'll keep me safe. Although, there's really nothing to be afraid of."_

_"What about the left over Death Eaters that are still at large? They could hurt you. Sneak up on you. Michael would turn his back on you and run himself. He wouldn't even fire at anyone when he was in Dumbledore's Army."_

_"Maybe because they were his _friends_. Remember that word, Harry? Friends. It's what we are."_

_"Well, maybe I don't want to be friends with you," he blurted out. However, he didn't mean for it to come out that way. In fact, he didn't hear anything wrong with his statement. However, Ron and Hermione did. But, Ron knew what he was talking about, too. He had seen it years ago._

_Hermione's heart shattered at his words. Tears pricked in her eyes. She sniffled and said, "Well, maybe I don't want to be friends with you, either, Harry James Potter." And with that, she stormed out of the kitchen. "Don't talk to me ever again, Harry Potter!" she exclaimed as she slammed the front door._

_Harry yelled and punched a hole in the wall. "I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!"_

_"You shouldn't have told her that, Harry. I knew what you wanted to say to her. But you shouldn't have said it like that," Ron told him calmly._

_"I know, Ron. Now she hates me. I don't want her going out with that pig."_

_"There's nothing wrong with him, Harry."_

_"Yes, there is."_

_"What, then?"_

_"He took Hermione away from me."_

The truth was...he was completely in love with his female best friend.

* * *

><p>The next day, Ron came by to the Potter Manor. Harry had just fed Teddy his lunch and let him roam free under his watchful eye as he read a book. Although, now that he thought about what he was doing, he realized just reading a simple book reminded him of Hermione. It reminded him of what could have been. Even little Teddy reminded him of Hermione. He had changed his features today to pitch-black hair and chocolate-brown eyes. Just like Hermione's.<p>

"Hey, mate," Ron said as he popped out of the fireplace. Teddy looked at him and yelled, "Unca Won!" He ran over to his uncle and hugged his legs. "Hey, little buddy. Is Uncle Harry brooding again?"

"I'm broken without her, Ron. And it's all my fault. I should've said something other than not wanting to be her friend anymore. I'm a stupid idiot." He leaned forward on the couch and rested his elbows on his knees. After a moment, he said, "I saw her yesterday at work. I wanted to talk to her. But she told me not to. Ron...she was so beautiful. So...perfect. And wonderful. I just wanted to tell her that. She hates me now. I may never speak to her again. She may never speak to me again. But I wish she would know just how amazing and beautiful and perfect and wonderful she really is."

"Wow, mate, you're really in love with her," Ron said shocked a bit. He knew Harry loved Hermione. But he didn't know he was _this much _in love with her.

"Yeah, I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't stop thinking about her. She's always on my mind. Before we stopped being friends, she was on my mind a lot. Now that we're no longer friends, she never leaves it. Never...think about anything else but her. About her...about what I've lost...about what could've been. Especially when I look at Teddy. I always imagined professing my love for her and if she loved me back, we'd raise Teddy together...as if he was our own. As if he was our son."

Ron wondered how long it would take for him to develop that same kind of love for Luna. He was on his way, but they weren't thinking about kids just yet. He supposed that greatest love story ever told was right here in his life. Harry and Hermione. He wasn't sure if Hermione loved Harry. Probably not anymore, but he had to be sure.

* * *

><p>So, he paid her a visit, as well. He rang her doorbell later that day. It was a moment before the door opened and an almost glum-looking Hermione stood there in her pajamas. "Hey, Ron," she smiled.<p>

"Hey, Hermione," he said back giving her a hug as she let him in.

"What's up?" she asked walking into the sitting room. Ron sat down on the couch. "I wanted to talk."

"Okay, do you want anything to drink?"

"No, thanks, though. Sit down," he gestured. She sat down next to him and he asked, "So, how was your date last night?"

"It was horrible. He's kind of rather boring. I tried to be nice and see if he was worth listening to, but all he talked about was Quidditch."

"Hey!" Ron said, a little offended.

"Ron, if you had dinner with this guy and listened to him talk about Quidditch, you'd want to poke yourself in your eye, through to your brain, and swirl it around," Hermione told him with a shake of her head. "Plus, I caught him checking out another girl..._while we were on a date! _He's so- He's just- He's not-" She couldn't find the right words.

"He's not Harry?" Ron asked, guessing what she was getting to.

Hermione stood up quickly, offended. "What? Is that why you came here? To talk to me about Harry? Because I do _not _want to talk about him! He made his decision clear that he did not want to be my friend anymore! He probably hates me now that I told him I hated him and didn't want to be his friend anymore. Stop talking about him! Please, leave, Ron!"

Ron just stayed sitting, calm. Content. He knew exactly what to say. "Hermione...you wanna know something about Harry? Even though you two aren't friends anymore, he still tells me how beautiful and wonderful you are _every single day_! _Every. Single. Day _he tells me that. He's heart-broken, Hermione. He's shattered! He thinks you hate him. He hates himself. He just wants to talk to you. He just wants to tell you how beautiful and how wonderful you are. But you told him not to. He's respecting you. Unlike what Corner did! He wants to talk to you so bad, Hermione, it's literally killing him! It's breaking him apart! I know what he said was horrible, but, please...just talk to him. I can see you want to. Talk to him."

Hermione was speechless. For the first time in her life, she was speechless. He was right. She wanted to talk to Harry. Because, deep down, no matter how angry she was at him, she was still in love with him. She nodded. "I'll talk to him."

* * *

><p>The next day, she Flooed to the Potter Manor. She tumbled out of the fireplace. The living room was a bit of a mess. Toys and whatnot strewn here and there. She heard a squeal coming from the doorframe of the living room. Her head jerked up and her mouth cracked into the first grin she'd had in a while. "'Mione!" Teddy ran up to her and she bent down and scooped him up in her arms. "Hey, Teddy. I've missed you so much!" She kissed the side of his head as he wrapped his tiny arms around her neck. She hugged him back. She saw a figure in the corner of her eye and looked at who it was.<p>

Harry was standing there, leaning on the doorframe, staring at the two of them with a longing look in his eyes. He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Hey, Harry."

"Hey, 'Mione."

Hermione put Teddy down. Harry walked over and put him in his bouncy chair and put on a cartoon for him. Hermione followed him into the kitchen. Where it happened. Where their friendship had ended. She closed her eyes in anguish at the memory.

"How was your date, Hermione?" he asked really wanting to know.

"Horrible. Michael kept looking at other women on our date."

Harry crunched his fists tight wanting to punch the living daylight out of Michael Corner. How could he not look at Hermione? She was the most beautiful creature in the world.

Her expression changed and she said, "We need to talk, Harry."

He nodded and let her begin. She blurted out, "You think I'm beautiful?"

He was confused. "W-what?"

"You think I'm wonderful?"

"Y-y-yeah, yeah, I do. I don't see how-"

"Ron came visit me yesterday. He told me how you tell him how beautiful and wonderful I am everyday." Harry blushed and looked down. "So, it's true. Why did you tell me that then? If you think I'm beautiful and wonderful, why did you tell me you didn't want to be friends with me?"

"It has a deeper meaning than that, Hermione."

"Like what, Harry?"

"I told you I didn't want to be your friend. And I don't." Hermione turned around, unable to look at him. She felt his warm breath in her ear as he whispered in it, "I want to be more than your friend, Hermione. I-it just came out wrong. I_ do _want to be your friend, but more than anything I want to be more. More than just your best friend. Best mate. Best pal. I want to be your boyfriend. And hopefully husband." She turned around and looked at him in disbelief. "I have for a while now. Probably since Sixth Year. When you abandoned me because of the book, I got scared not seeing you everyday. I knew I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life. How could I not see how beautiful and wonderful you are? Even better question: how could Michael look at other women and not you?" He shook head in disbelief. "Hermione...I've only ever had eyes for _you_. I love you."

By now, Hermione was crying. This was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. It was all a misunderstanding. He didn't really want to be her friend. He just wanted to be more. "I'm sick and tired of holding back what I feel for you! I'm sick and tired of seeing you everyday and secretly loving you and not being able to do anything about it. I'm sick and tired of standing back and letting you date other guys. I want to be with you, Hermione. Please, understand that." A tear leaked out of his eyelid and trailed down his cheek and onto his shirt. "I love you more than anything on this Earth. And I don't care what anyone has to say to that. Because I know deep down that you don't hate me. And I know deep down that you still want to be my friend."

"No, Harry, I don't. Because I want to be more." With that she flung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips upon his in a passionate kiss. He gasped and she took that opportunity to plunge her tongue into his mouth and explore more. He moaned and began to kiss her back. His tongue met hers and they shared a small snogging session before they heard Teddy cooing.

They broke apart. "Harry...?"

"Yeah?" He asked, his eyes still closed, savoring the taste of her mouth.

"I love you, too."

He grinned and kissed her once more. It was short because Hermione wanted to see Teddy at that moment. They walked hand-in-hand to the living room. Hermione bent down and picked Teddy up again and held him. "Hello, Mister. I'm here. I'm never going to leave you. Or Harry ever again. I promise."

"Mummy!" Teddy cried out. "Daddy!" They smiled and blushed a bit, but did not correct him.

"Yeah, buddy. Soon you'll meet that one person who will be the best friend you've ever had. And maybe...just maybe...it'll be more than that."

THE END

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there it is! Hoped you liked it. I'm supposed to be studying for my Advanced Math final I have tomorrow! Last final of high school! Yay! Then graduation! Then college to start school all over again. Haha. On to pursue my major in English for Writing! Hopefully, I'm doing a good job here!<strong>

**Once again, this was inspired by a Boy Meets World episode called Eric Hollywood. Shawn tells Topanga the same thing Ron told Hermione. That "Cory still tells him how wonderful Topanga was."**

**Anyway, pleez review!**

**DREWHHR**


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